III.

Historical and Literary Treatment

Some people believe that Robin Hood was an actual person, usually identified as Robert Fitzooth, the earl of Huntington. Others think that Robin was not a real person and that the stories about him developed for historical and cultural reasons. In medieval England, peasant masses struggled to make a meager living while a relatively small number of nobles and members of the church elite controlled the country’s land and wealth. People told and retold the Robin Hood stories as a way to express their discontent with overbearing government authorities, dishonest church officials, laws restricting hunting and farming rights, and other social injustices.

The adventures of Robin Hood have captivated writers for centuries. The earliest accounts have been traced to ballads penned in the 14th century. In the following two centuries, dozens of long poems, ballads, and dramas fleshed out the story and elevated Robin Hood to mythical status. Perhaps the most famous is a 15th-century ballad series called A Gest of Robyn Hode.

A number of prominent authors wrote about Robin Hood in the 18th and 19th centuries, including Sir Walter Scott and John Keats. In England during the Victorian Age (1837-1901), the legend became a popular inspiration for children's tales, including a successful collection called Robin Hood and Little John; or, The Merry Men of Sherwood Forest (1840) by Pierce Egan. In the 20th century, several movies appeared. The two most famous were Robin Hood (1922), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks, and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), an action-adventure with Errol Flynn. More recently, Kevin Costner played the leading man in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).